


Bruised, but not Broken

by NamelesslyNightlock



Series: Going Down Swinging [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Captivity, Established Relationship, Fluffy Ending, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Loki (Marvel) Feels, M/M, Reminiscing, Tears, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 18:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18857053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: Tony was captured during a Revengers mission. When Loki finally finds him, he won’t say a word.





	Bruised, but not Broken

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt** — _“No one’s going to hurt you.”_

When they found him, he was cowering against the wall of his cell, beaten and broken and _bloody_ and staring at Loki like he didn’t believe that he was real.

Loki knew that he could not blame him for that, not in the slightest. It was Loki’s failure, Loki’s _mistakes_ that had brought them to this, that had resulted in the brutal capture of the man that Loki loved. He should have fought harder, searched faster– surely, there must have been something, some way he could have prevented this. 

“Anthony,” Loki whispered as he crossed the threshold of the cell, the name a broken cry passing over his lips. The only other sound to escape him was a whine as he fell to his knees, his bones cracking painfully against the hard, concrete floor.

The stench in the cell was foul, the ground covered in dirt, and the bucket in the corner had clearly gone unemptied for far too long, but Loki hardly even noticed, his eyes locked on the broken shadow of a man. Anthony still looked like he didn’t recognise him, pressing hard against the wall, cowering– but not whimpering, staying completely silent.

“Anthony,” Loki said again, his voice beginning to shake. “Do you know who I am?”

The only indication that Anthony had heard was the smallest tightening of the skin around his eyes, skin so pale it was almost grey. He looked so frail, so delicate, and Loki was almost afraid that he would not be able to get them out, worried that if he pulled Anthony into his arms now, the man that he loved would simply disintegrate into nothing.

It really had taken far too long to find him.

Loki knew that Thor, Valkyrie, Hulk, and War Machine were tearing their enemies apart, that there would not be a single living thing left in the building when they were done. He knew that they would not be disturbed, and even their teammates would wait until Loki’s signal before they even thought about heading down to the cells.

Loki had already killed the guards, had already dispatched every one of the beings he had come across on his way down. There was no one left, so really, as long as Anthony was not seriously injured, they had all the time in the world.

There was no need to rush this, and Loki knew that Anthony would need him to go slowly.

“Anthony, I’m here,” Loki said, reaching out with one hand across the space between them, the space that seemed so much wider than the few yards that it was. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

But Anthony… only seemed to curl in on himself, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes tightly closed, his hands pressing hard over his ears like he was trying to keep something out.

So Loki settled down on the ground into a more comfortable position, truly not caring for the grime as he pulled his legs in front of him, wrapped his arms around his shins and rested his chin atop his knees. It was a position that he could not get up from in a great hurry, and one that allowed Anthony to clearly see his face as well as all of his limbs. Loki hoped that it might soothe him some, that even if he could not trust Loki, he could at least see that Loki meant no harm.

And then, keeping his voice low and soft, Loki began to speak.

“Do you remember when you first joined the Revengers?” Loki whispered. He didn’t watch Anthony for a reaction– he didn’t watch Anthony at all. He kept his eyes on the ground between them, so that Anthony would not be worried about regulating his own expression, or fear that Loki was planning to manipulate him. “You were so angry about everything that had happened on Earth, frustrated that they knocked you down at every turn when you were the one with the best idea of how to counter what was coming. I hope they know what it was that they lost, because I know that they did not deserve you. And I also know that Thor only had to mention the fact that his spaceship needed a mechanic and you jumped right on the chance, ready for the adventure of visiting new worlds.” Loki almost stopped his smile, but decided to let it curl at the corners of his mouth. Perhaps it would help Anthony believe that the danger had finally passed.

But Anthony still did not make a sound, so Loki pressed on.

“The day you decided to join the Revengers was truly the luckiest of my life,” Loki said. “Before you, I was the outsider of the group, the one that nobody wanted anything to do with. I know that Banner still flinched when I entered a room, and Val would not allow herself to be within touching distance of me. I thought that I could live with that, because I had been living with similar things all my life– but then you and Rhodes came aboard our ship and you were like a breath of fresh air.”

Loki thought that he heard the shift of fabric, but he did not look up, and did not move a muscle.

“I thought that you only saw me as a friend for the longest time, but I was happy with that, I felt blessed. We matched together so well, you and I. You weren’t afraid of me, and you weren’t _upset_ with me. You just treated me like a person, and I was lost on you long before I even realised what those feelings meant. And I was so _happy_ spending time with you, that my own longing did not even matter.”

Loki thought that he might have heard something then, perhaps the lightest shift of fabric, the slightest scratch of skin against ground. But still, he didn’t look up, keeping his gaze down and away from Anthony while he was at his most vulnerable.

“I thought that I couldn’t be happier. And then you kissed me,” Loki whispered, his smile sad now at the memory of a long time gone but which was still so very sharp in his mind. “We were down in the engine room, and I thought that it had come from nowhere, because it had been such an ordinary moment. But you had told a joke and I had laughed, and then you were smiling like… like you thought that… that I was something beautiful. And then your lips were on mine and it was _perfect_ , and I realised that your smile had always held that warmth. It was merely that in my desire to remain cynical and protect my heart I had simply failed to see it. You kissed me like I was important, like I mattered to you more than anything else. You always make me feel seen, you make me feel like I could conquer the world, so long as you were by my side. But with you there, I would never feel the need to, because you are all that I could ever want.”

Loki’s eyes were stinging now, and he blinked the salt away, aching, _needing_ to finish all that he had to say. And he knew that if he let those tears fall, his voice would betray him.

His next words were too important to be lost amongst his pain.

“I will always love you Anthony,” Loki promised. “I hate that I couldn’t keep you safe, and that you have been so hurt. I…” Loki trailed off, his breath catching, a tear falling and his hoarse voice vanishing from his throat. He let his eyes fall closed and he tilted down his chin, pressing his forehead to his knees, trying not to break apart when he knew he was needed now more than ever.

 _Please, Anthony,_ Loki begged, keeping the words in the relative safety of his own mind. _Please, remember loving me._

Then, like an answer to his prayer—

There was a gentle touch on his arm, a light, barely-there brush of fingers that felt like a spark of hope. Loki’s eyes snapped open as he looked up, staring at the fearful gaze before him, wary and afraid but with a touch of that fire that Loki knew so well– still smouldering, just a small spark of determination but still so very clearly _there._

“Loki,” Anthony said, and his voice was raspy but Loki knew that it was one of the most perfect sounds he had ever heard. “It’s… you’re really _here_.”

“Yes,” Loki choked, something hard and heavy sitting in his throat that wouldn’t quite go away. “Yes, my Anthony, I’m here.”

Anthony fell into Loki then with a soft cry, a whimper that was more relieved than it was afraid. Loki rearranged his legs so he could pull Anthony onto his lap, holding him close, stroking his lank hair and his scarred skin.

“Anthony,” Loki whispered again, knowing that he would never be able to say that name enough. “I’m here, I’ve got you. They cannot hurt you any longer.”

“ _Loki_ ,” Anthony whispered, his nose nuzzling at Loki’s throat. And he felt so very thin and far too light, dirty and bruised and quiet. But he was _Anthony_ , and Loki cradled him in his arms with all the tenderness that anyone could possess.

Loki tentatively reached out with his seiðr, letting it spark lightly once against Anthony’s skin before waiting for a reaction– and Anthony let out a sigh and pressed a little closer, his eyes falling shut as he leaned his head on Loki’s shoulder. So Loki wrapped them both in his magic, soothing and calming and _healing_ in more ways than one.

And when Loki heard a worriedly hesitant question reach him through the communication device in his ear, he was not unsure of his answer in the slightest.

“Yes, Thor,” Loki whispered, pausing only long enough to press his lips to the top of Anthony’s head. “Yes, we are going to be fine.”


End file.
